Banana Pudding Cake

(This is how I become a chunky monkey - banana pudding cake and cookies 'n' cream ice cream...)

As I started making this cake, I realized that I'm about to tell you all how great and easy this cake is, made from a few things in a box, when in the previous post I waxed on about how you should make your tacos from scratch and not use the spice packet but instead what you have in your cupboards....hmmm...doesn't reconcile, does it? Oh well. I guess that's just how it is with me. Sometimes I appreciate the convenience (and taste to be honest) of some of the convenience products, other times I want to "make it myself." So, that's not a very consistent philosophy, but it does produce consistently good food.

This cake is one example of good food, and is another great use for your over ripe bananas, whether they are on the counter or in the freezer!

Combine the cake mix and the dry pudding mix. Then add the eggs, water, oil and bananas. Mix on low until combined, then scrape the bowl and beat on medium speed for 4 minutes. I love my stand mixer. While it does the work for four minutes, I empty the dishwasher!



Pour the batter into a greased and floured bundt pan and bake. This smells SO good while it's baking. Don't be suprised if monkeys show up at your door.

Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes.



Then, turn the cake onto a wire rack to cool completely. If you like, you can make a simple powdered sugar glaze for the cake, or sprinkly powdered sugar over it. I like it just plain, though.

Banana Pudding Cake

1 package yellow cake mix
1 3.5 oz package instant banana pudding mix
4 eggs
1 cup water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup mashed banana

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour a 10 inch bundt pan.

In large bowl, stir together cake and pudding mixes. Add eggs, water, oil and mashed banana. Beat on low speed til blended. Scrape bowl; beat on medium speed for four minutes. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, til cake tests done with a toothpick. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes; then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Serves 12.

Breakfast Couscous

I eat a lot of oatmeal. I like it, but I was excited to find this recipe. This is a great alternative to oatmeal, and because it's couscous, it takes about zero effort to cook. Seriously, I don't understand how this works, but it does, and it's REALLY good.

Here's another recipe where you can use what you have. Use whatever dried fruit you prefer or have on hand, and use whatever nuts you like. I used almonds but the original recipe calls for walnuts. Pecans would be good too.

First, bring the water and milk to a slow boil on the stove over low heat. Stir occasionally so the milk doesn't scald. While that's getting going, assemble the dry ingredients together in a bowl. I used raisins, craisins, and almonds along with the cousous, brown sugar and cinnamon.



Once the liquid is boiling, turn off the heat, add the dry ingredients and give it a stir. Then cover and let sit for 10 minutes.



That's all there is to it! I'm so glad to have found this recipe. I can see myself making a batch of this on the weekend, and having it for breakfast all week!

Breakfast Couscous

1 cup milk
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup uncooked couscous
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup chopped nuts, toasted
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. salt

Bring water and milk to a boil in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally. Stir in remaining ingredients; remove from heat, cover and let stand for 10 minutes. Serves three, can easily be doubled or tripled.

Tacos

I love this recipe for taco meat. I find it far superior to the packets you could buy in the store. And almost as easy.

Tacos are a highly personal meal - you could have hard or soft shells, corn or flour tortillas, and any number of toppings! So I'll just give you my favorite recipe for the meat, and you can put it in whatever kind of shell or salad that you like, and top it off to satisfy your preference.

Brown your ground beef or turkey with the onions, green pepper and garlic. Drain the fat. Then add the sauces and spices.



These are the magic ingredients - (except the Betty Crocker cake mix - guess I forgot to remove that from the picture!) and it's likely you already have all of them in your fridge and cupboard. Now you know exactly what's going into your meat, and you can pronounce all the ingredients too. Except for maybe worcestershire sauce.



Cook and stir over low heat for a few minutes to combine the flavors and keep the meat warm. Fill in shells or salads as you like, and top as you like with things such as salsa, olives, lettuce, cheese, onions, peppers, guacamole and sour cream!

You can find more favorite Mexican recipes at the Ultimate Recipe Swap, Mexican edition!

Taco meat


1 pound ground beef or turkey
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp. worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. cumin (I usually use 2, I LOVE cumin!)
1 tsp. dried cilantro
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning

Brown beef with onions, pepper and garlic til beef is fully cooked. Drain fat. Add sauces and spices and stir and cook over low heat til flavors are combined, about 3 minutes. Use to fill taco shells or salads, and top with taco toppings.

Serves 6-8.

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

Yummy. That's what these are. Chocolate chip cookies are good, but for my money, these cookies are head and shoulders above. The combination of sweet white chocolate chips and salty macadamia nuts in a buttery crumb is just divine!

Like most cookie recipes, first combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl and set aside. Cream together the butter/shortening and sugars until light and fluffy. I find I get the best results with these cookies when I use 1/2 unsalted butter and 1/2 shortening. If you like all butter better, that's fine too. Remember, USE WHAT YOU HAVE.

Add the egg and vanilla and beat well. Gradually add in flour mixture; mix well. Chop nuts - I like my Zyliss chopper for this - it's the same as the Pampered Chef ones.



Stir in chips and nuts. Drop by tablespoons onto an ungreased cookie sheet. These are true drop cookies, so unlike the ginger cookies, you just drop them and leave them. No flattening or other messing around.



Bake until golden brown, and let rest on the cookie sheet two minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.

For more great cookie recipes, visit the Ultimate Recipe Swap!

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
1 1/2 cups white chocolate/vanilla chips
1 cup chopped macadamia nuts

Heat oven to 375.

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl; set aside. Cream butter, shortening and sugars in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, beat well. Gradually add in flour mixture, mix well. Stir in chips and nuts.

Drop by tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes until golden brown. Let stand for two minutes on cookie sheets; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes 3 dozen.

Kitchen Tip Tuesdays

I keep my spices in a deep drawer. This means that the labels are hidden and I only see the top of the jars. I used to spend a lot of time rifling through trying to find the "right" spice. Then I discovered a great short cut! With a sharpie, I wrote the name, or an abbreviation, on the top of each jar. Now I can see exactly where each spice is. No more guessing, and it saves a lot of time and frustration!



For more great tips, visit Tammy's Recipes.

Menu Plan Monday

Monday - sweet potato and smoked sausage soup, garlic biscuits
Tuesday - southwestern pot pie, broccoli
Wednesday - Easter dinner part II
Thursday - tacos
Friday - stuffed manicotti with peppery cheese sauce, caesar salad
Saturday - beef stroganoff, egg noodles, peas
Sunday - sesame pork tenderloin, roasted potatoes, sauteed zucchini

For more menu plan inspiration, visit I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Strawberry Shortcake

This is the ultimate "Welcome, Spring!" dessert, in my opinion. This year, it made a fantastic ending to our Easter dinner. This recipe for shortcake can be adapted to suit your preferences - I baked it in a 9" pan, but you could also drop it by large spoonfuls for a "biscuit" effect. Sometimes I put the batter in my "muffin top" pan to create individual cakes. Either way, the cake is really just the foundation for the good part - the strawberries!

This comes together quickly in just a few steps. First, combine the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Cut the cold butter lengthwise, then crosswise, into many pieces. This will make it easier to work into the flour mixture.



Add the butter to the bowl, and then use the butter wrapper to grease your pan. You'll want to flour the pan too.



Next, cut in the butter using either a pastry blender or a fork or two. I usually use a big meat fork and just keep smashing around until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. It should look something like this:



Combine the milk and the eggs and whisk together lightly. Add it to the flour mixture.



Stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened. This should still look "bumpy" - you want it that way!



Finally, spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake until golden brown.



While the cake bakes, wash, hull and slice the strawberries and sprinkle with sugar. Then, refrigerate until using.

Cool the cake at least 10 minutes before cutting to serve. Cut the cake into 8 wedges, and top with strawberries and ice cream or whipped cream. Devour. Or eat politely. Your choice.

Get more Easter inspiration at Fabulous Food Friday.

Strawberry Shortcake

2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter or margarine
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk

4 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
1/4 c. sugar

Ice cream or whipped cream

Heat oven to 375. Grease and flour a 9" round cake pan.

Combine the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Cut the cold butter lengthwise, then crosswise, into many pieces. Cut in the butter using either a pastry blender or a fork until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Combine the milk and the eggs and whisk together lightly. Add to the flour mixture.
Stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Meanwhile, wash, hull and slice the strawberries and sprinkle with sugar and refrigerate until using.

Cool the cake at least 10 minutes before cutting to serve. Cut the cake into 8 wedges, and top with strawberries and ice cream or whipped cream. Serves 8.